Professional Documents
Culture Documents
. "to the
ZIMBABWE
RUINS , ,
I.
Guide to the
ZIMBABWE ,RUINS
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation for visitors is provided at the Zimbabwe
Hotel at the approach to the
Ruins, and at Sheppard's Hotel,
beyond the Ruins and to the east.
Full. informati'on can be obtained
- m the managers. It is advisable to book well in advance
::~-ing the tourist season .
For .the use of visitors wishing to stay ' in the Ruins, a
..::nber of comfortable rest-huts have been built. These may
rented at ' a charge 0f 5/ - per 'day or part of a day, inclusive
- iirewood and water. Two beds are provided in each hut, to-
gether with mosquito nets, table and chairs. Visitors are required
to bring their own bed linen. The huts are electrically lighted,
and open-air fire-places for cooking are provided.
For those wishing to camp a camping ground is av~ilable.
For the use of this a charge of 2/6 for a period not exceeding
three days is made. This includes firewood and water.
All fees are payable in advance to the Curator.
As there is no local store, visitors are advised· to bring their
own provisions.
In order to prevent disappointment, visitors wishing to
occupy rest huts are urged to make application well in advance
of the time of their intended visit. Address all communications
to the Curator, Private Bag 87, Fort Victoria.
PICTURE POSTCARDS
A series of picture postcards of the Ruins has been pre-
pared from photographs taken by the Department of Public
Relations. These are on sale at the Curator's office at 2/6 for a
packet of six cards.
I
no survivor." Their remains were killed at the
Matabele close
War Of of1893,
the
subsequently transferred to a after their remains had
been removed from the
grave on the summit of the site of the battle. This
World's View in the Matopos Kfr~:Og£~p~.w~e~f:~ ~~
Hills in 1904, where they rest .July, 1903. Thefollowing
year the remains were re-
beneath a fine monument designed moved to the Matopos
and executed by Mr. John Tweed, Wh~~o!~el ~~~~~zi[ an
the eminent sculptor. The photo- ~
graph reproducea was taken in 1903, prior to the removal
of the remairis.
Page Two.
Thou Shalt Not .' . •
uproot any wild plants within the reserve without the per-
mission of the curator .
Attention is drawn to the provisions of Government Notice - excavate in any part of the reserve without ~he
No. 16 of January 14, 1944, published in terms of the Monu- written permission of the Commission and subJect
ments and Relics Act (Chapter 64), setting out the by-laws made to such conditions as the Commission may attach
by the Commission for the Preservation of Natural and Historical to such permit.
Monuments and Relics which are enforced within the Zimbabwe
reserve. _ r etain any article of historical value or inte~est
found by him within the reserv~. Any such article
The curator appointed in terms of these by-laws shall have shall be handed over to the curator.
power to carry out and enforce their provisions and may at any
t ime prohibit any person from- Any person contravening any of these by-laws or any con-
on attached to any permit issued under these by-laws, or
(a) doing any act which is likely to spoil the beauty of the ; ecting or refusing to obey any prohibition issued to. him by
scenery in the reserve or to cause inconvenience to the curator, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be lIable ~n
public; , iction to a penalty not exceeding twenty-five pounds, or. m
:l.ult of payment to imprisonment for a period not exceedmg
(b) climbing or walking on any part of any ruins or monument
~ month.
in the reserve. The erection of a notice board setting out
the terms of any such prohibition shall be deemed to be
sufficient notice to the public.
No person shall
(a) carry, use or discharge any firearm within the reserve. (A
person entering the reserve in possession of any firearm
shall deposit such firearm with the curator until the termina-
tion of his visit.)
(b) pitch a camp on any part of the reserve except in a camping
ground expressly set aside for that purpose by the Com-
mission .
A fee of half-a-crown for a period not exceeding three
days shall be paid for the use of a camping ground.
A fee of five shillings per day or part of a day shall
be paid for the use of a rest hut.
All fees shall be paid to the curator and shall include
the provision of water and firewood.
(c) light any fire in the reserve except upon a camping ground.
(d) throw papers, tins or rubbish of any kind anywhere within
the reserve.
Page Four. Page Five.
, to be grateful to Mauch for having noted these baulks
A Brief Historical Account :imber which have helped to dispel the theory to which they
~~y gave rise.
of Investigations trangely enough, Mauch does not appear to have worried
the Acropolis, which was visited in 1889 by Mr. Willie
T 0 pre-pioneer, A.dam
~he Render~,
is due the credit of the Q t, who was hunting in the vicinity. He found there in a
kraal four soapstone birds standing on the walling together
~~scovery of the Zimbabwe Rums in 1868. They were
also vIsited by "Elephant" Phillips a year later, but the impor- - some other objects of the same material. Impressed by these
tance of the find. meant little to these early hunter-traders for, ects, he proceeded to saw off one of the birds from its
e:,en had they wI~hed to d~ so, it was a matter of the greatest :::estal, and was immediately set upon by the local natives for
dl~culty to examl~e the rums as they were at that time filled intrepedity. Later, however, he was able to trade some of
w~ th dense vegetatlOn. It was not until 1873 that the first eye- objects which he handed over to Mr. Cecil Rhodes. This
witness account of th~m was published. In that year, Dr. Karl .- is now preserved in the National Museum, Bulawayo.
Mauch, a ~erman plOneer-explorer, a geologist by profession, When Southern Rhodesia was taken over by the Chartered
went to Zimbabwe. The sight with which he found himself pany it became possible, with less danger to life and limb,
confronted must have been an impressive one. 713.y some attention to its places of interest, and in 1891 Mr.
~ore Bent, at the invitation of the Company, visited Zim-
T~ be bro~ght face to face with this monument of man's , e and made the first detailed investigation of the ruins,
enterpnse a?d mgenuity after long journeyings to and fro in he later described in his book, "The Ruined Cities of
Central Afnc.a must have fSiven him a thrill which is given to :ishonaland. "
few to. exper~ence. Nor did he hesitate to attempt to probe its He collected everything he was able to find, but, apart
my.stenes. With mattock and axe he hacked his way into the in- _ a little digging at the foundations of the Conical Tower
tenor of t~e Elliptical Building, and succeeded in reaching its =to which he also penetrated), he did no excavation, content-
most conspIcuous feature- the Conical Tower. This, he not un- ~ himself with what he was able to find on the surface. While
naturally concluded, was a repository for hidden treasure and 'he ~ did not commit himself, he concluded that the ruins he
pro.ceeded t? bu~row. into it by removing stones from its base, ~ned were originally built by a pre-historic race .. which
whl~h, to give him hiS due, he later replaced in rough and ready . ued in possession down to the earliest dawnings of history,
fashlOn when he was satisfied that the tower contained nothing. 'ch provided gold for the merchants of Phoenicia and Arabia."
To I?ake assurance doubly sure, however, he ascended to Dr. H. Schlichter, in 1899, computed the age of the ruins
~he summtt where he removed some of the top courses destroy- be 1100 B.C. This he did by certain astronomical observa-
mg complete~y. the " dentelle" pattern with which it issaid to into which we need not here go into detail. He did,
h~ve been ongm~lly decorated. The prodigous task of battling ever, achieve one result for which we have reason to thank
With the veget~tlOn probably deterred him from committing .:.im. He drew attention to the activities of the " Ancient Ruins
furthe~ depredatlOns, but, upon the slender evidence of what he '-Dmpany." Reference is made in the descriptive sectio'n of this
had dl~c?vered, he di~ not hesitate to put forward his theory of .5 • de to the havoc caused by treasure hunters who were respons-
the ongm of th: rums. He ascribed them to the Queen of Ie for spoiliation of so many ruins at a time when no legisla-
Sh.e~a, and .s~w m the wooden lintels that were then in their . n existed to curb them, and it will, it is thought, be of some
ongu?al posl~lOn over the entrances, the cedars of Lebanon hewn erest to the visitor if something is said about it.
by.H~ram, Kmg of Tyre, which Solomon also made use of in the At a time when considerable doubt was being cast upon the
bmldmg of the Temple in Jerusalem.
rusy prognostications of the early prospectors who endeavoured
. While it i~ unf<;>rtu?ate that so bad a start should have been convince the public that they haa found a .. New Eldorado"
given to the mveshgatlOn of the Zimbabwe Ruins, we have Southern Rhodesia, the discovery was made that the builders
Page Six. Page Seven.
~ the Rhodesian ruins were workers in gold. It was therefore
:oncluded that this metal existed in greater abundance than has
- ce proved to be the case, but it nevertheless restored the confi.-
:.=nce of the public in the potential richness of the country.
As the result of this discovery quite a number of people
rted off deliberately to ransack the ancient ruins in the hope
~ acquiring great wealth with a minimum of effort. Some
.:.m1per was put upon their enthusiasm when the Hon. Maurice
-ifford and Mr. Jefferson Clark obtained a concession from the
artered Company over all the " ancient ruins" between the
..impopo and the Zambesi rivers. With the consent of Rhodes
d Jameson they farmed out this concession to a company with
capital of £25,000 under the directorship of Messrs. Neal,
hnson and Leach, and called the" Ancient Ruins Company."
This company was wound up in 1900 when attention had
n called to its depredations, but, during the five years of its
'stence, it had wrought irreparable havoc among the ruins.
lany of the smaller ones were completely gutted, and in many
ers every evidence that might have assisted in elucidating the
lems of their date and origin was effectively destroyed.
book, "The Ancient Ruins of Rhodesia," by Messrs. Hall
Neal, was published in 1902 in order to inculcate the idea
the work of this company was a direct contribution to .
-:haeological knowledge. In this book Neal claimed to have
=xplored" 43 ruins personally and he deplores the action of
ers for doing just what he had himself done. It is stated with
e authority that the company paid no dividend, which is a
:;!tter of satisfaction, but nothing remains of the innumerable
jects of cultural and intrinsic value that were recovered.
The Ancient Monuments and Ancient Relics Protection
;dinance, which was promulgated in January, 1903, more or
less put an end to relic-hunting,
~~1 but it is well to mention here
large Conical Tower §
:ch is a f~at.ure of the § I many peop1e
th at th ere are st'll
p1Ical BUlldm~ of the~. who do not appear to be aware
~~~~
Zimbabwe Rums.
th at It . 1'11ega.
. IS 1 .Th e 0 rd'mance
referred to was replaced in
-936 by the Monuments and Relics Act now in force. This
.=rovides heavy penalties for excavating m ruinS without the
ritten permission of ·the Commission.
Page. Nine •.
In order to implement the Ordinance of 1903, Mr. R. N. . While there are many people today who still believe that the
Hall was appointed curator of Zimbabwe, and during his five are remotely ancient, no serious student who knows the
:!lIlS
years of office, he made a detailed examination of the ruins and ue of archaeological evidence disputes the conclusions of
wrote his book, "Great Zimbabwe." Herein he elaborated his e ~o eminent archaeologists in the matter of the dating of
belief that the ruins went through many feriods of building and - e rums. No one, however, holds the view that every problem
adaptation extending over a period 0 3,000 years, and he _:esented by them is satisfactorily disposed of.
ascribed their erection to one of the civilised people of the Near Here, away in what was until recent years the unknown in-
East, for whose presence he found sufficient justification in the
evidence afforded by the various relics he and others before him m or of Africa, we are confronted with the evidences of a race of
had discovered in the ruins. - ople who, whether they were immigrants or indigenous natives,
;ve disappeared as a cultural unit. They have left for our in-
His work attracted the attention of archaeologists the world .ection hundreds of ruins, of which Zimbabwe is only one
over. So much so that, in 1905, at the instigation of the British
Association for the Advancement of Science, Professor D. :hough it is the noblest, which display great imagination and
Randall-Maciver, an experienced field-achaeologist with an inti- mense energy, and have bequeathed to us no clue' as to who
mate knowledge of the Near East (which Hall was not) was ey were or whither they went.
sent out to investigate the Rhodesian ruins, and it is only natural
that he should have given most of his time to Zimbabwe. _ . Whatever view the visitor may prefer to take, the Zimbabwe
~s are not one whit the less remarkable and awe-inspiring
His results were published in his " Mediaeval Rhodesia." d no one who visits them can fail to be conscious of a desire
In it he stated that he had investigated seven sites, and from not know more about them than perhaps we can ever know.
one of them had any object been obtained by him or by others
which could be shown to be more ancient than the fourteenth or
fifteenth century A.D., and that there was no trace of Oriental
or European style in the architecture. He further affirmed that
the character of the buildings was unmistakably African as also
were the objects found in them with the exception of certain
imported articles known to be of mediaeval age.
The publication of this book raised a storm of controversy, BOOKS OF REFERENCE
and Hall lost no time in publishing his" Prehistoric Rhodesia,"
in which he indignantly refuted MacIver's conclusions. The The Ruined Cities of Mashonaland," by Theodore Bent. Long-
romantic theories of earlier writers had laid too firm a hold on mans, 1893,
the public imagination, and it was at once apparent that faith and The Ancient Ruins of Rhodesia," by R. N . Hall and W . G.
not fact in archaeological research was to be preferred. Neal. Methuen, 1902 .
In 1929 another scientific investigation of the ruins was Great Zimbabwe," by R. N. Hall. Methuen, 1905.
undertaken by Miss G. Caton-Thompson in connection with the
visit of the British Association in that year. Working with an Mediaeval Rhodesia," by D. Randall-Maciver. Macmillan,
open mind and uninfluenced by Maciver's conclusions, she found 1906.
that the earliest buildings could not on any archaeological evidence . Prehistoric Rhodesia," by R. N. Hall. Fisher Unwin, 1900.
be regarded as earlier than the 10th century A.D. and maybe
. Zimbabwe Culture," by G . Caton-Thompson . Oxford Uni-
later, and that the latest could not be placed as earlier than the
versity Press, 1931.
14th century and ma}1 be as late as the 16th.
Page Eleven.
Page Ten.
+- TQ elene-iver
o
Description of the Ruins
Z IMBABWE lies in rugged granite country 17 miles south-
east of Fort Victoria between the Lundi river and the more
open country of the Sabi Valley. It can be reached by rail from
Bulawayo and Salisbury via Gwelo to Fort Victoria and by road
: rom Bulawayo via Gwelo or Shabani, and from Salisbury via
Enkeldoorn. Southern Rhodesia is rich in ancient buildings of
-;vhich Zimbabwe is pre-eminently the most important both on
count of its extent and the size and solidity of its buildings.
-tanding beneath the massive walls of the Elliptical Building the
>isitor must be impressed by its immensity, and one's immediate
:eaction is that the work of building them must have been costly
.n human life and energy.
The only other permanent building material made use of The finds consist of imported articles and articles made
has. been called granite cement. This is disintegrated granite -.uy. The first consist of fragments of imported porcelain
whICh, when wetted , and possibly mixed with ant-hill, sets hard. - fi ng ~nd Ce!adon) which w~ imported to Africa in quantities
MedIaeval times ; some PerSIan pottery; Arab glass; and quan-
Page Eighteen.
Page Nineteen.
tities of glass beads. In the second category, the most important
are the various objects carved from the local soapstone. These
comist of pedestals surmounted by birds of vulturine appearance
(two of these are known and two others, said to have been found,
are lost); phallic objects, some in the form of stylised human
figures, of which some 200 are said to have been found; carved
cylinders decorated with knobs, thought by some to be female
emblems of fertility; platters of varying size, some of them
decorated, ribbed beakers, invariably broken on account of their
thinness; and a gold ingot-mould.
Gold objects include wire bangles; beads of various sizes
and patterns; foil, used for plating wooden objects; tacks for
attaching the foil; and chain. Iron is a metal that disintegrates
rapidly when buried, but a number of recognisable iron objects
very similar to those in use today among local natives have
been preserved. These include spear-heads, gongs, hoes, axes and
other objects. Copper beads and bangles have also been found .
The iron and copper objects were generally regarded by the
earlier investigators as of recent Kalanga workmanship, but there
is no proof that such was the case. Potsherds of three distinct
types have been collected.
It should be stated that no recognisable objects known to
be of ancient manufacture have so far come to light, nor any-
thing which could with certainty be referred to one of the
ancient civilisations.
Page Twenty • .
14.
13 .
r
The Ell iptical Bu ild ing
or "Temple"
THE Elliptical Building, also known as the .. Temple,"
although there is no evidence to prove that it was used
exclusively for religious purposes, is the most imposing of the
ruins. Its great waIl which extends without a break from the
West to the North entrances, is from ten to sixteen feet thick
at base, narrowing to eight to nine feet at the summit. The
dressed rectangular blocks with which it is faced, average six
y twelve inches on the waIl-face. A double" Chevron" pat-
~rn , the centre of which faces south-east, extends for some
. tance along the outside of the wall. Stone monoliths stand
the top. The northerly waIls are not so massive but are of
similar construction, and, so far as is known, are of the same
- teo It is probable that, since the outside waIling is here joined
the main wall, it was not considered necessary to make them
·cker.
The interior of the building is occupied by a number of
_;eparate enclosures of varying construction in which huts were
~ probably erected. The entrances
~~~~__ t..J.1 ~ ... _ E.n~1~~ § are, for the most part, built
at the Western ~
:=mldingEntrance. , h ascen d'mg and descen d'mg
wIt
~ steps, and the different enclosures
:e at various levels, the highest being in the centre. Remnants
- the cement flooring, such as have survived, are apparent here
there.
A feature of the outside waIl is the drain-holes which also
elsewhere within the building, as weIl as on the Acro.l'olis.
- nIl'
-. Schofield is of opinion that, · as the drain-holes in the mner
ills are lower than those in the outer waIl, these latter must
of Jater date.
It will be noted that the walling in .the interior is by nc On the North side of the Platform Area is a small circular
means of equal quality throughout . .Some of it has been hastiI- -..:Lform of granite cement which was formerly ascended by
built and is of poor construction while other walling bearS
evidence of careful work. Earlier observers have deduced frorr: o steps. On its summit and round it were discovered a number
this that different periods of building. are thus indicated, but this : bases of carved soapstone beams, which probably once
view is held in some doubt today as it is considered quite prob- .:...=corated it, together with a large number of phallic objects and
able that the building of the fabric did not necessarily cover a :-.>ny gold objects. When first discovered the platform was
very prolonged period of time, as was previously held to have
been the case. _[Hied under the soil in which a tree, thought to be at least 15 0
-;cars old, was growing.
No. 7 ENCLOSURE On the exterior face of the north wall of this area is a
decoration of three parallel and horizontal rows of green chlorite
To reach No. 7 Enclosure it is necessary to pass through
Nos. 5 and 6. No. 7 Enclosure has a very substantial west wall schist in graduated lengths, of which the longest is at the bottom.
and two protected entrances which are grooved for posts. The There are seven shorter rows on the right of the entrance to the
entrance passed over the foundations of the wall and the courses Sacred Enclosure. This form of decoration is seldom found in
of the walling were curved inwards in fan-shaped fashion to form other Rhodesian ruins. This entrance, which was evidently of
steps. In the south side can be seen an instance of the recon-
str~ction. of a v:ell-built wall. The cement flooring, some of
considerable importance, opens into the Sacred Enclosure.
whICh st1l1 remams, was evidently laid after this reconstruction Of the Platform itself very little now remains, but there is
was c~mpleted. This enclosure suffered severely at the hands sufficient evidence to indicate that it once occupied a commanding
of reItc-hunters and much of the granite-cement floor was
destroyed ~ompletely. It. is st~ted to have been used as a dump aspect in front of the Conical Tower. The only remaining
fo~ the S?ll thrown out m adjacent excavations and many inter- portion of it can be seen to the right of the entrance to the
estmg objects were recovered there. Sacred Enclosure. Bent mentions a tall granite monolith which
. Leaving No. 7 Enclosure by the east side and turning once stood on the north side of the Platform, but this was
duectly towards the left, No. 10 Enclosure is entered. This removed by relic hunters in 1892-94 to a neighbouring spring
occupies an' elevated position almost in the centre of the building. to act as a dam for their gold washing operations.
Page 'T wenty"Four.. ' Page Twenty-Five.
THE SACRED ENCLOSURE
The Sacred Enclosure, within which stands the Conical
Towers, of which there are two, a large and a small, lies on the
south-east side of the Elliptical Building. In shape it is long
and narrow, the larger Conical Tower practically dividing the
area into two equal portions to the east and west. The enclosure
is 120 feet long and its width varies considerably. It has four
entrances-on the south-east, west, north and east. Here was
discovered a soapstone cylinder decorated with rosettes which is
now in the South African Museum at Cape Town .
This enclosure is stated to have suffered more depredations
than any other part of the Elliptical Building, and the original
flooring and other internal structures were destroyed. The
entrance, it will be noted, has grooves on either side for door-
posts, which would have enabled it to be cut off from the rest
of the building.
~~~I
_ e main wall of the
'ptical Building shaw-
l': the Chervan pattern.
~1.I",)-H.Q"q,~t.Q'xQl~~~~
NORTH-WEST ASCENT
This ancient ascent starts in the flat valley at the foot of the
hill and is marked by a structure known as the W ater-gate which
formed part of the Inner Defence Wall. Since it appears certain
~~ that the water supply for the
Zimbabwe Hill and the Acropolis was obtained at water
Acropolis, seen from the
Elliptical Building. holes in the valley, the depressions
~ of which can still be seen,
it is probable that this provided the reason for the formation of
the ascent at this point.
This ascent is in a ruinous condition and has been closed
to visitors.
MODERN ASCENT
For the convenience of visitors who would find the South-
eastern Ascent too arduous, a modern ascent has been prepared,
and seats have been placed at convenient intervals. Older people
are advised to use it though the ancient South-eastern Ascent
is of greater interest. This modern ascent is to the left of the
ancient one, and winds its way along the side of the hill until
it crosses the ancient North-west Ascent. It is best at this point
to leave the path which eventually leads to the summit of the
hill and turn to the right, thus reaching the entrance to the
Western Enclosure.
Page Thirty-Five.
OUTSPAN RUIN
In order to climb Zimbabwe Hill the VIsItor first passes
dlrough the Outspan Ruin, which forms part of the Inner
Defence Wall. This wall, of which portions only remain, en-
~loses the hill on its west, south and east slopes. This ruin is
dle most perfect section of the wall and was evidently an irnpor-
~nt gateway. It is a complicated structure and possesses a num-
ber of rounded buttresses and small enclosures which could have
been used as sentry-boxes.
RECESS ENCLOSURE
The south-east wall of the Recess Enclosure has on its
inner face a row of five vertical recesses built into it. It is
probable that these once contained wooden beams for supporting
a roof. This enclosure is today in practically the same condition
as when first found, and has suffered less from vandalism and
other causes than most other parts of the Acropolis. otice
should be taken of the construction of the opposite wall wlllch
P age Forty-Three.
is twenty-two feet high. This is composed of two separate walls,
across both of which the wall is carried in two bold curves. The
straight joints of the two walls illustrate a frequent feature of
Zimbabwe walling-that the builders did not know how to
interlock their stones when joining two wall faces. In this
instance the walls are not bonded but one is merely built up
against the other, thus leaving a crevice from top to bottom.
PATTERN PASSAGE
The Recess Enclosure gives access to the Pattern Passage
which is fifty-one feet long and runs east and west along the
exterior of the south wall of the Eastern Enclosure. The side
walls are some eight feet above the passage where it begins to
slope backwards, and seventeen feet at its eastern end. Reascend-
ing Pattern Passage, and on the left side after passing Recess
Enclosure, is an interesting feature. This is a short flight of
blind steps which lead nowhere and appears purposeless. The
course of the stone blocks is curved inwards in semicircular
form, each course being laid behind and above each lower course
in step formation. This might have been useful in defence but
could have served no other purpose.
The steps in the Passage at this point are not ancient.
They were laid down in 1903 by Mr. R. N . Hall to enable
visitors to climb over the entrance into ' the Eastern Enclosure.
Originally the entrance was on a level with the bottom of these
steps, but the slipping forward of the upper half of a large
boulder blocked up the entrance completely.
THE EASTERN ENCLOSURE
The Eastern Enclosure, also called the Eastern Temple, is
the most interesting enclosure in the Acropolis. From its general
arrangement it seems admirably suited for the purpose of a
council chamber. It is erected upon a ledge of the cliff and is
bounded on the north and west sides by still higher cliffs which
rise perpendicularly from its floor to some fifty or sixty fee t
above it. A curved wall runs ~<O><O>~,o"o
't
rou.n d 1. s oj:'en sp~ce.
Th' 11
IS wa,
whIch IS nInety-eIght feet long
J
§ On the Acropolis, show-
ing the Recess Enclosure
and the walling around
. . the East ern Temple.
and twenty-five feet.hIgh at ItS .7><o>q.<O><O><O><O><O><O><O><Q'<O><O><O>~
highest exterior point, carries on its inner face a banquette wall
which suggests a platform for official use. Facing this and a
little way from it the ground rises and the whole effect is thar
of an amphitheatre for the use of spectators. The exterior face
of the wall is strengthened at one point by a large buttress, and,
Page Forty -Four.
at its east end, it is decorated by two rows of .. Dentelle " THE GOLD FURNACE ENCLOSURE
pattern close to the top. It is stated that a number of soapstone
Returning to the Eastern Enclosure and passing through the
beams carved with geometric patterns formerly stood on its
east entrance, one descends to the Gold Furnace Enclosure the
summit.
floor of which is some twelve feet lower than that of the E~tem
When, in 1902, Mr. R. N . Hall cleared away the debris Enclosure. Messrs. Bent and Hall both record that the, dis-
from the interior of the enclosure, which had previously been covered traces o! gold-smelting operations having been c3.r:ried
used as a cattle kraal by the local natives up to 1895, it was o.n here, and eVidence of iron-smelting, probably within fee -
found that four floors, one behind the other and supported by times, ca? be seen today. Passing through the east emrarr-e
low walling, had been formed in amphitheatre style. The exca- and ~eepmg well. to the right, it is possible to reach a cave whi
vation of one of these floors by Mr. Theodore Bent in 1891 con tams a quantity of loose stones . This may possibly har~
yielded numerous phallic objects, and a number were recovered been used as a storehouse for raw material. '
later by Mr. Hall together with some sections of carved soap-
stone beams. In this enclosure were also found five soapstone THE CENTRAL PASSAGE
beams surmounted by birds, and a portion of a sixth. These
now repose in the South African Museum at Cape Town. Three Returning to the Gold Furnace Enclosure and crossing the
of these beams stood in their original positions in 1890, and floor of the Eastern Enclosure, the visitor is advised to re .
faced east. the ~pper end of the Pattern Passage and then turn directly
The north entrance to the Eastern Enclosure is a natural t?e nght up the Central Passage. This forms direct commuruca-
one and was once protected by rounded buttresses. This is a tlO~ be.tween the western and eastern extremities of the Acropolis.
narrow and deep rock-passage under an overhanging rock. It .IS, m a sense, a western ext~nsion .of the Pattern Passage.
The east entrance leads down into the Gold Furnace Enclosure ClIffj and boul.ders form the mam portIOn of its sides and i[ is
but the steps down into it have now disappeared. sOI?e seventy-sIx feet long. There is a sharp rise of six feet
gomg westwards. This leads directly to the Cleft-rock Enclosure.
THE SUNKEN PASSAGE
Though not visible, mention must here be made of the THE CLEFT-ROCK ENCLOSURE
Sunken Passage which traverses the floor of the Eastern Enclosure . The Cleft-rock Enclosure is almost entirely surrounded by
from the north-east to the west-sou~h-west for some twenty-three big boulders. The poorly-built divisional walls are said to be
feet. It is about six feet wide and has walls on either side. of Kal~nga .construction, and the local Kalanga people claim
It was originally covered with stone beams which collapsed into that thel.r chl~f, .Makomo, erected them and lived within them.
it. The impression one forms is that it was an underground C?ne of Its pnnClpal features is the angular entrance on the west
means of communication with the Gold Furnace Enclosure so Side of the enclosure. which gives ingress to the Platform
as to avoid going through the Eastern Enclosure. Enclosure and to the North-west Ascent.
RENDERS RUINS
These were named after the first discoverer of Zimbabwe..
Adam Renders, and cover an area of about 300 by 200 fee-.
They contained eight separate enclosures, and are approached b:-
a passage about thirty-six feet long which leads in a north-easz
direction from the North Entrance of the Elliptical Buildin .
These ruins ate badly preserved except for a portion of we
passage way.
POSSElT ·RUINS II A II AND II B II
These were named after the Posselt brothers who plou he~
up the land immediately to the north-east of the Ellipciu:.
Building in 1888-1889. They adjoin Renders Ruins on the north-
east side and cover an area of 200 by 7S feet. They once coo-
~""""",,,'''''''''''''~''''''''<Cn<Cn~'1 tained a small conical tower, rhe
The only genuine mono- foundations of which are still
litn still standing in its
original position. in Phil-
. 'bI
VISI e.
A Iarge h ut f oun d atlOo
'
lips Ruins. (Photo b y § will be noted. Some of the
G. H. Addecott & Co. , § b
Ltd., Bulawayo.) § walling is massive, ut its quality
/'~<Cn<Cn~<Q>',c.<Cn<b,q,<Cn"- varies considerably. There are two
reconstructed walls, the joints between them and the original
walls being clearly seen. A small piece of dagga walling is of
interest.
PHilLIPS RUINS
These were named after George Phillips, an elephant
hunter who visited Renders at Zimbabwe in 1868. They lie
to the east of Posselt Ruins with which they are connected. This
is a most interesting ruin and is generally well-preserved. It
once possessed a conical tower and has a fine curved wall which
was once decorated with carved soapstone monoliths . The
Page Forty-Nine.
steps between narrow walls which descended for a distance of
north entrance is intricate and worth examination. In 1903 a
rwenty-nine feet into Renders Ruins which are on the north side
soapstone monolith surmounted by a bird and having a croco-
at a much lower level.
dile on its edge was discoveted by Mr. Hall close to the conical
tower. This monolith can now be seen in the National Museum,
Bulawayo, and it is interesting to note that it provided the design No. I RUINS
of the crest of the Rhodesian coat-of-arms, as well as that on
the reverse of the Rhodesian shilling. On the east side of the These ruins, which lie about sixty yards to the north-west
wall stands a monolith eight feet high, and it is the only one from the North-west Entrance to the Elliptical Building, appear
known still to be standing in its original position . It marked one to have been of some importance though they are generally 0-
of the entrances. Several hut foundations are visible. inferior construction. The massive main wall was originally 1 -
feet long and had banquette walls inside the entrance on ei
side. The design is irregular and, though the walling is pI
MAUND RUINS stones of all shapes and sizes have been made use of.
These lie at a distance of sixty yards to the east of Phillips ruin was gutted by relic-hunters between 1892 and 1894.
Ruins. They consist of a well-built north wall and two platforms
which are approached by large steps. Each is supported by a
wall with a well-rounded end . There was an entrance with a
RIDGE RUINS
vestibule on the north side. These ruins have become important The Ridge Ruins, though originally well-constructed,
as the scene of Miss Caton-Thompson's excavations in 1929, greatly deteriorated. They are situated on an elevated ri
and a full account of them is given in her book, "Zimbabwe b ~e granite. just behind the Shangani Patrol Grave from v.-
Culture." they are eastly approached.
EAST RUINS The Zimbabwe valley abounds in ruins of all rype5
probably of very varying age. The neighbouring hills as
The East Ruins are twenty yards to the' south of the Mtilikwe as the district for many miles round are dotted with 0
wagon road at about 550 yards from the Shangani Patrol Grave . tures. It is evident that the area once carried a grear POP"-'~'''''''''
They are ideally situated for defensive purposes and the walls
are massive and generally of good construction.
SOUTH-EAST RUINS
These are on rising ground on the edge of the ravine at
the east ef!d of the Valley of Ruins and occupy a strategic
position. The walls are wide and massive. There is an entrance
on the north-west side.
MAUCH RUINS
These were named after Dr. Karl Mauch, the German
geologist who visited Zimbabwe in 1871. They are situated some
150 yards north-east of the end of the" Chevron" pattern wall
of the Elliptical Building, and are approached by a path leading
east from the North Entrance. Their distinctive features are
high walls, a parallel passage on the north-east side 99 feet
long, and a large semicircular buttress. There was a flight of
Page F ifty .
is related to the European Elm, the wood of which
The Vegetation of the used by natives to make charcoal for gunpowder.
~
The Finger Rock on
Morgenster Mission . near
the Zimbabwe Ruins.